Adding it up
Friend of the blog Emmet Matheson over at A Bulldozer With A Wrecking Ball Attached has had an indirect influence on the main writers of this project over the years, thanks to his former position as editor and best music reviewer of all time at the University of Regina’s Carillon student newspaper. He has really good taste as well, which helps.
He’s linked here a time or two before, which is pretty cool. Today I’m returning the favour, having been stricken by an urge to write about Regina’s Polymaths. It was Emmet’s enthusiasm for their pop-rock stylings on his blog that first exposed me the group. Shameful, I know, seeing as how I still live here and he’s hundreds of miles away.
His enthusiasm is very justified. Their EP So Long Castle Road is evidence of their commitment to doing things right. They’ve chosen a lean six songs to represent their first few years as a band and there isn’t a single missed note in the whole works. They’ve got a keen ear for relaxed, catchy rock structures and unassuming, unaggressive arrangements peppered with liberal use of piano and lady-vocals.
There also seems to be a tiny streak of self-referentialism in these young Regina pop bands. Polymaths and their close-knit kin in Rah Rah both shamelessly reference not only their city but also their province, which is sure to raise eyebrows in non-domestic listeners. Its a nice contrast from other points in our history when being located in the prairies and gaining national or international notoriety would’ve been thought impossible and bands did all they could to diminish the fact they came from here.
But aside from that more overt notion, the songs on So Long Castle Road also evince a sense of malaise in the changing face of Saskatchewan’s landscape. We’ve seen empirical evidence in recent years of diminishing rural populations, including smaller towns, as farmers and other rural residents trade in agrarian lifestyles for city dwelling. Part of that is due to aging populations in the agricultural sector, but it also represents a shift in the economic focus of the province towards a more diverse and commodities and resources-based economy. Polymaths issue a subtle protest over the changing face of the province lyrically on the EP in two ways: by romanticizing the centuries-old practice of lumber-jacking on the album’s closing track and using industrial and mechanical imagery on other songs to represent the negative aspects of the song’s subjects and their antagonists. It’s an interesting and very regionally-specific piece of songcraft that’s worth applauding.
Polymaths - Strike!: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Polymaths - Lumberjack Rock: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadYou can find the Polymaths myspace page here. The EP is available dig-it-ally from Zunior. Young Soul Records’ website is outdated and essentially non-functional, but you can visit it by clicking here.
Never heard of this group until now, and they’re great :)
Good for people to know.